"We have stated in the past this situation will never happen again. And it never will," vowed Castelveter, declining further comment.
Charlotte's owner brought the pig onto the Oct. 17 flight as a service animal, which invoked complex U.S. Transportation Department rules on "nondiscrimination on the basis of disability in air travel."
As the Boeing 757 landed with 200 passengers, the pig awoke, tried to barge into the cockpit and stormed into the galley, according to an airline report.
Witnesses reported it squealed wildly and left steamy droppings on the airport carpet and inside an airport shuttle van.
Service animals are usually Seeing Eye dogs. Pig owner Maria Tirotta Andrews said she has a heart condition so severe that she needs the companionship of her pig to relieve stress.
That's enough for the government.
USAirways, said FAA spokesman Peters, "acted in a reasonable manner. It was a legitimate request from a passenger with a disability. We consider the matter closed."
Andrews said from her new home near Seattle that the probe was useless.
"I have said all along Charlotte was a service animal, allowed to travel with me," said Andrews, who recently moved to the West Coast from South Jersey.
She denied her pig behaved badly while travelling.
"My pig did not run around the plane's aisles. My pig did not run around anywhere. Print that in the Daily News," demanded Andrews.
FAA investigators spoke with ground personnel in Philadelphia who helped Charlotte on the airplane, as well as crew members, passengers and the captain of USAirways Flight 107.
"The FAA's conclusion: the pig qualifies as a service animal," said spokesman Peters.
Investigators did not interview Andrews.
According to a USAirways internal memo, Andrews reported the pig weighed 13 pounds when she made a reservation - which Andrews does not dispute.
"When they saw it in Philadelphia, they said it was OK to load it on the airplane," Andrews said.
Further, airline bosses allowed the pig into first-class for free.
Under federal regulations, a service animal is not a pet. Instead, it's trained to provide assistance to the disabled.
It must be permitted to accompany the passenger to that passenger's seat, according to the regulations.
The regulations also say service animals are to be kept under control at all times.
But the regulations give airlines no way to curb a disruptive pig. Airline workers are not allowed to boot disruptive service animals off the airplane. Instead, according to the rules, they should consider "mitigating the effects of an animal's behavior that are acceptable to the individual with a disability."
Send e-mail to doughef@phillynews.com
